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Baby Shampoo And Crisco To Remove Makeup

Q. You answered a question regarding makeup removers. Your answer was fine as far as it went, but you left something out.
Dove is an excellent non-drying soap but it can’t be used to take off eye makeup. Instead, I like to use baby shampoo. It removes every bit of eye makeup, including mascara (even so-called water proof mascara) and does not irritate the eyes. Nor does it dry the delicate skin surrounding the eyes.
This was recommended by the Eye Clinic, because I’m terribly allergic to many cleansers and was having problems with my eyes. Just pour a small amount of baby shampoo on a warm, wet cloth, work up a lather, and gently massage all areas of the closed eye until the cloth rinses clean.
No tears, no fuss, all makeup is removed. Please spread the word.

A. Thanks for the tip. Another reader was also told by her ophthalmologist to remove eye makeup with baby shampoo. She points out an additional advantage: baby shampoo is a lot cheaper than most cosmetic cleansers.
We also heard from someone else about a different approach:
Q. I was fascinated by the question on removing makeup. Remember Arsenic and Old Lace? One of its Broadway stars told me that she used Crisco to remove her stage makeup. She claimed it was just as good as cold cream, but cheaper. By the way, she had beautiful skin.
A. Thanks for the tip. Many readers have offered their own favorites for inexpensive easy makeup removal. Several suggested a little baby shampoo on a wet washcloth for removing eye makeup. Others recommended products such as Oil of Olay, petroleum jelly or liquid soap. Yours was the first message, though, that suggests Crisco belongs on the vanity instead of in the kitchen cupboard!
It was not the last, though:
Q. I’ve been enjoying the suggestions your readers have made on inexpensive makeup removers. Many of us serving as Navy WAVES during World War II used Crisco for makeup removal.
Crisco can be whipped in a mixer with a drop of vegetable coloring and perfume for a fancy cleansing cream. Oh, the ingenuity of women!

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About the Author
Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist who has dedicated his career to making drug information understandable to consumers. His best-selling book, The People’s Pharmacy, was published in 1976 and led to a syndicated newspaper column, syndicated public radio show and web site. In 2006, Long Island University awarded him an honorary doctorate as “one of the country's leading drug experts for the consumer.”.
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